Roll-away cushion



A ril 19, 1949. J. H. DUBY ETAL 2,467,468

ROLL-AWAY CUSHION Filed Dec. 10, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 19, 1949 ROLL-AWAY CUSHION John H. Duby, New Haven, and Walter J. Sinnott, West Hartford, Conn.

Application December 10, 1946, Serial No. 715,174 Claims. (Cl. 155191) This invention relates to a chair cushion and more particularly and specifically to a roll-a-way cushion seat.

The primary object of this invention resides in the provision of a roll-a-way chair cushion of the character described which provides a comfortable seat cushion for chairs to be used out-ofdoors which may be rolled up and stored in a clean, dry container afiixed to the back of the chair.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a seat cushion of the character decribed which is designed to protect cushions of a chair used out-of-doors from inclement weather as it is impossible to use soft material for cushions that will not rot and corrode when used in those out-of-- door chairs now in use.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a cushion of the character described which is quickly and easily operable to bring the cushion into use and to release the cushion to allow it to be housed within the waterproof container.

Still further objects of this invention are the provisions of a chair cushion of the character described which is durable in use, and of simple and inexpensive design.

Further improvements and advantages of this invention will readily appear to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the chair with part of the back broken away for clearer illustration.

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 with parts broken away for clearer illustration.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 44' in Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5.

of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the modified form. Fig. 8 is a front view of Fig. 7. Referring now to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of this invention and in which like numerals indicate similar parts throughout, A designates a chair of the conventional stadiiun or arena type comprising four legs I, arms 2 and a specially constructed casing 3 adapted to be secured to the back or to form the back of the chair being, supported in such a position on the vertical braces 4. The casing 3 comprises a hollow water-proof shell I having a hinged door 1 on the back thereof spring I2. The lower depending end of the flexible material is afliXed to the rearward end of a flexible seat cushion l3 which is made of a suitable comfortable and. durable material.

The cushion I3 is adapted at times when in an encased position to hang in a depending relation from said length of flexible material within the casing 3. A strap I4, and pull tab l5 are secured to the cushion l3 and depend therefrom. Such strap and tab are adapted to extend through the slot formed between the lower edge of shell 5 and the front free edge of the port 8. Thus, the pull tab I5 is readily available from without the casing even when the cushion is in the above described encased or stored position.

A cross brace-l6 is slidably mounted on rollers IT in vertical guides I8 extending the full length of the casing'bn either side thereof and the flexible material II is secured to this brace H5 at H! adapting them for companion vertical movement within said casing.

The cross brace I 6 in the region of one pair of rollers carries a trip bar 20 which extends forwardly therefrom and which is adapted at the upper-most point in its travel with brace Hi to actuate and raise the normally resiliently depressed drag link 2l whereby to close the lower hinged port 8. Thus, a bell crank lever is pivoted in a recess 63 of the casing 3 so that an arm 62 of the bell, crank lies in the path of the bar 20. The dra link 2| has a laterally directed upper end 66 which is pivoted to the bell crank arm 62. The other arm of the bell crank is loaded'by a spring 64 so that the crank and link 2| are loaded in a downward direction to open port 8. When the cushion is in its normally incased position within said casing, the rollers and trip lever are at their apex and the hinged port 8 is closed.

To place the cushion in a seat covering position, the tab I5 is grasped and pulled downwardly and forwardly over the seat 6 of the chair A from behind a lower guide C in the bottom of said casing, the hinged door 8 opening when the roller retained trip bar 20 disengages the spring trip and allows the resilient tension to open the door.

The cushion is locked against withdrawal into the casing by the ratchet clutch comprising a dog 23 on the casing and a ratchet 24 on the roller 0. Thus, the dog 23 which was originally released to allow the removal of the cushion from the casing may be reengaged with the ratchet to lock the device. Also, the tab i5, which may comprise a ring, may be disposed below the front edge of seat 6 and hooked over a depending stud ii (Figures 1 and 2) on the underside of the seat.

This clutch may be operated by a rod D which is axially movable within the casing operated from without.

When it is desirous to return the cushion to the casing the clutch is released and the hook I! is released to allow the spring roller to wind said flexible material thereabout and withdraw the cushion into the casing.

when the rollers ll have been elevated suiiiciently they will cause the heretofore described operation of closingthe lower port 8.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 a lawn chair B is shown having merely the conventional canvas seat and back 40 which is rolled up into a smaller container ii on a spring roller in the same manner as shown in the first embodiment, the canvas seat having a rod 42 transverse the end thereof which is secured in two hook catches 43 on opposite sides of the chair front frame 44. The rod 42 remaining suspended below the container ll for grasping and pulling' purposes and adapted to engage a hook it on the underside of the chair seat frame to retain the seating material in place over the seating area.

It may be easily seen that the stadium chair illustrated in Figs. 1-4 could be arranged in duplicated plurality side by side as in an arena or the like and be provided with a single rod C to operate the clutches of all of said chairs simultaneously, and also that a coin insertion control could be installed on each individual chair for the operation of the cushion therein.

Thus having described and explained the construction and function of this invention and with full conviction that modifications in size, shape and general characteristics would not constitute a departure from the spirit of this invention what we desire to claim in Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a chair frame a rolla-way seat comprising, an elongated waterproof casing enclosing the back of said chair frame, a spring roller mounted transverse the upper end of said casing, a 'hinged closure enclosing the bottom of said casing, a flexible material secured on said roller normally held in a rolled condition thereon, a seat cushion secured to the free end of said flexible material suspended in said eas- 4 ing,apulltabsecuredtosaidcushion,meam adapting said cushion to be pulled irom said container by said tab opening said closure, a means to secure said cushion in a seat covering podtion in said chair frame, a spring lock adapted to close said closure, and sliding means carried by said flexible material adapted to operate said lock when said cushion is released to return to its normal encased position.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said casing is formed with a rearwardly directed access opening, and a hinged plate on said casing comprising a closure for said access opening.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a ratchet means operatively associated with said roller, and said ratchet means being operable to lock said roller against rotation in a cushion retracting direction when said cushion is positioned in said seat covering position.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cushion is adapted to be locked against movement into and/or out from said casing, and said locking means is controllable from external said cas- 5. In combination with a chair frame including a seat, a hollow casing comprising a chair back, said casing having a closed upper end and open lower end, a downwardly opening normally closed door hinged to said casing and comprising a closure for said open lower end thereof, a seat cushion normally disposed in an encased position in said casing, means for advancing said cushion out of said casing through said open lower end to a seat covering position, means for releasably holding said cushion in said seat covering position, spring means in said casing in,

operative association with said cushion and loading the same to said encased position, and means operatively associated with said cushion and door for automatically closing said door and holding the same in a closed position as said cushion is moved to said encased position.

JOHN H. DUBY. WALTER J. SINNCYI'T.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 728,209 Dawson et al. May 19, 1903 2,257,103 Brockering Sept. 30, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,056 Great Britain 1913 252,491 Great Britain June 3, 1928 

